Crawford Crowns LaSalle Bank Theatre Grand Opening

Opulent! Grand! Magnificent! I could keep going, but your eyes have to behold the wonder of the newly renovated LaSalle Bank Theatre, formally the Shubert Theatre (and still is to most theatre patrons) to experience the sheer beauty of this space.

 
Built as the Majestic Theatre which first opened in 1906, the theatre was known throughout the world for its top notch vaudeville performances. The theatre closed during the Great Depression and then reopened after an extensive remodeling in 1945, where it housed long running productions of South Pacific, The King and I and Guys & Dolls. The Shubert Theatre became known as a premier touring house and was a favorite of the stars who performed in the space. 

  
I had a conversation with Valerie Perri in New York, who performed the role of Evita in the 1980's at the Shubert, who stated it was in her experience, the greatest theatre ever built. 

 
It was back in the late 1980's when the Shubert Theatre began to feel the economic pinch of both the lack of Broadway theatre tours and the Loop's receding populous. After struggling for several years, the Shubert Organization sold the theatre to Nederlander Group in August of 1991. The theatre went through some minor repairs and reopened under the direction General Manager, Ken Shaw on November 20, 1991 with a production of Tru starring Robert Morse, which was also filmed for PBS television.  The production was a hit and so began the rejuvenation of the Shubert Theatre. Productions that followed under Mr. Shaw included The Goodbye Girl with Bernadette Peters and Martin Short and Buddy, which had one of its most successful stops in its tour.

 
Now, after almost two years, the theatre has been redesigned from head to toe, with a price tag of $14 million. There is now an ample box office area and a bar area which you can actually have a conversation without the threat of being pushed down a flight of stairs by a crowd of people.  Plush red velvet seats are spacious and comfortable, and there are better sight lines throughout the theatre.  Though the space has gone massive restructuring, the architects of kept the intimacy of a true Broadway house.

 
For its unveiling, London and Broadway's original Phantom of the Opera, Michael Crawford graced the stage with a full orchestra and a plethora of hits from Jesus Christ Superstar, Hello Dolly, Man of La Mancha and of course, Phantom (with Dale Kristen again as his Christine). Crawford as usual, was magnificent, and after being beset by some recent health problems, looks as handsome as ever and can still belt out his high A flat when needed.

  
The LaSalle Bank Theatre is the crowning jewel of the major Chicago houses. All theatre fans owe it to themselves to see first hand the glory of this magnificent structure.

Photos by Cara Garbarino